The Tears of a Jester

machiabeeli Feb 27, 2022

8.5

Man I really enjoyed reading this. This is far from my usual fare of manhwa, as I usually read otome isekai / fantasy romance types of works but something about the perspective coming from the jester drew my eye. From my usual manhwas, there are no jesters as a role. I didn't understand what it was until this manhwa showed me the painful truth. Jesters are powerful since they toe the line so carefully, it's a balancing act set in real life. Due to their role, they are aware of the political machinations and the power play taking effect in the kingdom but are ultimately powerless to do anything to change the turn of the tide. The one power that they wield is often a double-edged sword; one that can cost them their life if they fail to move accordingly. I liked how each of the characters are portrayed - they are strikingly human for their flaws and their ambitions but we can't judge them for their actions as they come from a more realistic perspective. We often make the same mistakes and commit the same successes in our day to day lives, but since they are on a grander stage, they experience greater consequences.  I'm simultaneously dreading and looking forward to the next chapter. The stage has been set at Chapter 18 and we can see the delicate balance between all the characters. I'm not one for tragedy so I don't know what to expect. I hope things work out in a way that is cathartic for us, if not for the characters. Reviewed at Chapter 18.

Navy1reader Jan 1, 2024

9.5

*MILD SPOILERS* Honestly the story is a master piece and the characters are well developed. But I seriously need this to have a tragedy tag, because I cried A LOT. The thing I'll say is they characters are super frustrating and everything that happens in this story is because of the f*cking emperor and the dad of the princesses, that led to their fight for the throne. I have never hated a piece of trash father as much as I hate him. Anyway I really like the story,.hope you go through the Rollercoaster of emotions I went through. 👋👁👁

Curiousmadra Feb 27, 2023

8

**up to chapter 46 so few spoliers** I gotta say folks, this has been a one Helluva read that you do not want to miss out! I like the fact it shows the real deal of being a royal when it comes to the succession, like this manhwa wasn't sugarcoating anything with the royal family in this story. So basically from the very beginning , we see a woman, Catherine (?) being executed because she's been accused of being a witch and it said that she cursed the royal family for revenge (?). On the other side of the story, we see a cute little jester (apparently he has no name) who is so dedicated to Princess Verona (and apparently has a crush on her since childhood) and her sister Princess Lux. Of course as time goes on, the battle with the two sisters arises as their father has basically mental health issues and is not performing his duties. You'd feel sorry for him! I was so pissed off at Princess Verona for hitting the Jester because yeah he doesn't want to pick sides and for god sakes, being a leader isn't that important if you're a psycho! However I just was still invested in this story like I wasn't expecting what was happening like wow guys, it's wild stuff! The art, story, characters, everything involved is clearly worth experiencing and I rarely share this in other reviews!